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2010

July 25/10:
Marie finishes 13th on a very tough Champéry course, she was the top Canadian and fourth North American finisher. Marie is now 12th in World Cup points standings. In the Canadian Cyclist interview Marie said: "There are some days where you don't feel really good on the bike, and this was one of those days. I was struggling in the mud and the technical sections, and not riding as good as I normally do. My health is good again, so I will look to do better next week."

July 15/10:
Marie won't be able to compete at the Canadian National Championships this weekend, she has been diagnosed with bronchitis. Marie is disappointed that she won't have chance to try to regain the Canadian Champion jersey, but she remains focused on the World Championships in September.

June 6/10:
Marie virtually won the Senior Expert Men's Quebec Cup race at Lac Beauport. "I raced in Lac Beauport on the weekend and it went super well! I won in the Senior Expert Men, but as I was racing for training, I asked not to take the points from the guys!" Marie said, "It's going really great this year, I rediscovered the pleasure of riding, it feels good!" (photo by Patrice Belle-Isle)

May 27/10:
This week Sportcom gives the athlete of the week award to Marie-Hélène Prémont. The mountain bike racer finished fourth at the World Cup in Offenburg, Germany.

Some may think that this result is far from being a highlight performance for the a top racer like Marie-Hélène, but we believe just the opposite. The fourth place shows the tenacity shown by the resident of Chateau-Richer in her effort to return to the top of the World Cup rankings after a difficult season in 2009.

Marie-Hélène, although surprised by her nomination, was also delighted with it. "I am really happy with the race I had. The podium was not far away and the feelings which I had, for me, it was a podium, my personal podium", said Marie-Hélène, at the same time very satisfied and relieved. Relieved to put behind her the bumpy course of last season. (complete Sportcom announcement)

May 23/10:
Marie finished 4th in Offenburg, taking and holding 4th position early after a 26th place start position.

"It was a great race for me, although I would have liked a podium today. I even had the victory in mind because I knew that I felt great, " she indicated. "The downside was, I had the disadvantage of having a starting position too far back, because I was 26th on the starting line. I came through the start well. I had a good start and I gave it a good shot so I was up among the top 10."

"The feelings are good, the breathing is super good and I found the cycling energy I had before. Last year, it was a really tough season because every race, it was not a battle against the other racers, but against myself, trying all the time to challenge myself, but being all the time limited. I no longer have that feeling and I feel my fitness progresses, it just keeps improving."

"I was thinking about trying to win, because in Houffalize, I knew I was in good shape. I was doing well before I had my mechanical and it was still hard to take, so I wanted to take my revenge today. It's still a sweet revenge, but it will get better and better."

Since the next World Cup won't take place until July, Marie intends to participate in some races on North American soil plus the Canadian National Championships to continue the work on her fitness. (Sportcom press release) (photo by Balint Hamvas, Cyclephotos.co.uk)

May 2/10:
Marie suffered a DNF from a broken derailleur after a collision with another racer before the end of the first full lap in Houffalize, after riding up as high as 3rd place on the start loop. This was Marie's first ever mechanical DNF in her career.

"I had a good start and I felt really good. Four of us had a small lead before departure from the start loop," said Marie.

In a descent, two girls fell in front of Marie and she decided to wait to have a clear field before taking her turn at the descent. "Going down, I slipped and Margarita Fullana followed right behind me and she did not wait, then she rolled over my bike, which broke my rear derailleur."

Marie believed that the damage was limited, so she did not stop at the first Tech Zone. Moments later, her derailleur got caught in the spokes of her rear wheel. Marie pushed her bike to the next repair area.

"We had to change the chain and derailleur. I could repair everything and go, but since the course was fairly short, I struggled to return to the front. It's disappointing not being able to finish the race because I had the form to win and I knew I was on it. At least the upside is that my good feelings are back, my health is there and the fitness is there. I just had bad mechanical luck. Now, I look forward to racing again in Germany in three weeks." (Sportcom press release) (photo by Balint Hamvas, Cyclephotos.co.uk)

April 25/10:
Marie finished eighth in the first World Cup mountain bike race in Dalby Forest Yorkshire, run Sunday in Great Britain. Marie was 1 min 37 sec back of the winning Russian and world champion, Irina Kalentieva (1 hour 54 minutes and 57 seconds), who was the fastest of 90 competitors.

"I'm really happy, even if I had a bad start. There was a fall in front of me and I found myself in the woods. The trail was narrow and there was only one place where we could pass. Since there were no openings, the girls would speed up and let no one pass. So I could only move one person at a time," she said.

She was frustrated to have lost time at the beginning of race, being back as far as 41st at the end of the start loop, but slowly and surely, she came back into the top 10 as the race progressed.

"On the climbs, I gave it everything I had and that's where I managed to pass some girls. I had good legs, good feelings and my breathing was good, so everything is positive!" Marie said with confidence. "I'm only a minute and a half from the first place and I looked forward to the time at every lap, because I think I rode the same speed as the girls who were in front. If I had a different start, I think I could have been on the podium." (Sportcom press release) (Interview) (photo by Rob Jones, canadiancyclist.com)

April 22/10:
Marie will head up Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain. The 2008 World Cup Champion, Athens 2004 Olympic Games silver medallist, and World Cup multi-medallist will soon complete her university year and head back out to the trails. Marie will be joined on the women's team by American Lea Davison (cross-country) and French rider Sabrina Jonnier - herself a two-time World Champion, and 2009 World Cup Downhill Champion. The men's cross-country team will be lead by British Columbia's Geoff Kabush, the current Canadian Champion in the discipline. Downhill specialist and New Zealand native Cameron Cole will also be a part of the powerful team.

"I trained really hard this winter and I can't wait for the season to kick off because I know I can ride so much better this year," explained Marie, whose 2009 season was marred by health difficulties. Nevertheless, Marie still rode to a second place finish at the Madrid World Cup race.

"Everything started to clear up at the end of last season," she added. "Now, I want to get back into the top three of the rankings. My main objective of 2010 remains the World Championships; it's going to be at Mont Sainte-Anne on a trail that I love, and I want to conclude the season with a solid performance." (photo by John Gibson, gibsonpictures.com)

2009

Oct 25/09:
Marie finished 12th in the Pro Women class (101st overall) at the XTERRA World Championships in Maui. After coming out of the 1.5km Swim section in 96th in the Pro Women class (377th overall) at 32:30, Marie was the second fastest Pro Woman (and 37th fastest overall!), in the 32km bike section, just 5 seconds down on the trail at 1:42:53 to Julie Dibens' 1:42:48. Marie had a very respectable 21st place in the Pro Women category in the 11km Run section, to finish at 3:20:23 total time.

Oct 14/09:
Marie will travel to Maui, Hawaii to compete in the XTERRA World Championship on October 25, the day after her birthday. The race is a birthday gift from her family, it's a race Marie has wanted to try for a long time. This will be a chance for Marie to combine mountain biking with other athletic pursuits she enjoys, swimming and running!

Sept 19/09:
Marie finished 5th at Schladming, a happy return to the podium. The race was set at only 4 laps, scheduled for a very short 1:20. Marie rode a strong race from the start, leading into the first lap until she was passed by Elizabeth Osl, but staying in the lead group for the entire race. Marie took the last podium step for a great finish to a tough season, taking 6th place overall in the World Cup series, the second highest ranked North American behind Catharine Pendrel. "Yes, I am happy with this result. It has been a hard season for me, with good results, then bad, then good. So, this shows me that I am on the right track and I go into the preparation for next season with a good feeling," Marie said. (Sportcom press release) (Cyclingdirt.org Interview)

Sept 13/09:
Marie finished 11th at Champéry at 5:05 behind Elizabeth Osl. The start loop began with a fast paved sprint, and ending in a technical descent which cost Marie a number of places when a number of riders crashed blocking the trail in front of her. "It was a bad type of start for me; very fast on a paved road. I hate that kind of start; I would prefer it to go more into the woods. So I went into the woods maybe in 30th place, and after that I was able to do quite well, and start to move up," Marie told Canadian Cyclist after the race. Marie did have a brief problem with her asthma during the very fast start loop, but was able to recover on the descent and it did not happen again after that. "For me, I am happy with this result. After such a bad start in the season, to feel good again is really great, and I just want to finish this season with a couple of good races and take that feeling into my preparation for next year," Marie concluded. (Sportcom press release)

Sept 5/09:
Marie announced that she will race again in 2010.

Sept 5/09:
Marie finished 12th at the World Championships in Australia, at +5:15 to Irina Kalienteva. "I'm glad to have found a good feeling during a race. I felt good and I had no pain in the legs," Marie said, "It was my first competition since I am taking medication for asthma. I must adapt to this new situation." The 1:43:20 race was run at a very fast pace, the top 10 riders were covered by 4:12. "I did not envisage a twelfth place, but to rediscover this feeling gives me confidence. I'm really happy to race in Australia," Marie said, "The course was very fast and included few passing sections, that was not in my favour. Other Canadians either. We prefer the more technical course. But I retain the pleasure I had to race!" (Sportcom press release) (Interview)

Aug 14/09:
Hello everyone...

I wanted to keep you posted about developments on my state of health....

After what took place in Bromont, I said I wanted to understand my breathing problems. So I met with a lung specialist two weeks ago that gave me a battery of tests including a test for asthma with methacholine. This one was negative but the doctor suspected exercise induced asthma relying on the clinical result as well as the parameters of the results. He then prescribed another test that I took this week.

I passed the test for Eucapnic Voluntary Hyperventilation (EVH) without any ambiguity, I have exercise induced asthma. My test showed a decrease in the FEV (Forced Expiratory Volume in one Second) of 28% which is significant. A decrease of 10% was necessary for the diagnosis of exercise induced asthma to get the right to use a pump. The documents have been completed and sent to the CCES and the UCI.

I am a little disappointed to have asthma but at the same time relieved to understand what happened in the Olympics and Bromont, and more to explain my breathing difficulty while in competition. The positive side is that it responds to treatment very well. I will use Ventolin just before the competition and I will be protected for 4-6 hours.

I am really pumped for the upcoming World Championships now that I know that my breathing problems are behind me!

Thank you to everyone for your support and your encouragement.

Aug 2/09:
Marie finished 13th at the Bromont World Cup race after suffering breathing difficulties on the long climb. Marie dropped as low as 20th position on the 2nd lap before recovering to 13th in the rain. 8:58 covered the top 10 finishers, Marie finished in +11:12. "It was very hard for me out there today," Marie said in the post-race interview with Canadian Cyclist. "I felt dizzy a bit, and I couldn't breathe, so I had to stop at the side of the track for a while before I was able to go again. It was not a good day for me." Marie noted that the problem is similar to what happened in Beijing just about a year ago. When the Beijing breathing problem could not be recreated once she returned to Canada in 2008, it was assumed that it was a unique occurence, so further medical studies were not done. Marie said she was confident that the problem can be diagnosed and managed in the month before the World Championships in Canberra, and she will continue to train with that goal in mind. (Sportcom press release) (Interview) (Race hilights, Freecaster.tv)

July 26/09:
Marie led early on the first lap but finished 10th at a very cool and rainy Mont Sainte Anne World Cup race. Marie's bike developed fork lockout problems and a 2nd lap flat that dropped her from 5th in the lead pack to 10th place, and she wasn't able to make up more time. 5:24 covered the top 10 finishers.

Marie did receive a huge round of applause from the crowd every time she rode the tricky rocky switchback downhill section rather than taking the "chicken line" that many other riders chose. (Sportcom press release) (Interview) (Race hilights, Cyclingdirt.org) (Race hilights, Canadiancyclist.com) (Race hilights, Freecaster.tv)

July 11/09:
The Canadian National Championship race in Saint Félicien started under overcast skies, and then just into the first full lap, the skies opened up and the rain came down hard. Marie finished second 2:51 behind Catharine Pendrel, surrendering her National Champion crown, and 2:39 ahead of Amanda Sin. Marie said; "The national title was not as big a priority for me this year, and I just have come off a big three week training session as I get ready for Mont Ste Anne. I knew this morning that my legs were heavy, and that it would be very hard to the defend the title. But I'm very happy for Catharine, she rode a very strong race and she deserves to be the champion." Marie is focusing on the two Quebec World Cup races and the World Championship race.(Cyclingdirt.org Interview) (Canadiancyclist.com Interview) (Race hilights)

July 5/09:
At the Canada Cup in Bromont, Marie had mechanical problems with her rear derailleur getting caught in the rear wheel on the 2nd lap of 4. The damage was bad enough that she couldn't continue and Marie had already passed the Tech Zone, but rather than abandon the race and the training opportunity, she ran backwards to the Tech Zone for a repair and continued to race with a few missing spokes, dropping 9 minutes back to 10th place. She returned to 2nd place during the final lap, knowing she'd be disqualified for the Tech Zone infraction.

June 28/09:
Marie will compete at the Canada Cup race in Bromont on July 5.

May 24/09:
Marie was back with style in muddy Madrid, swapping the lead with Margarita Fullana Riera for much of the race and finishing in second place just 4 seconds away from first place in a sprint finish much like the 2008 race with Gunn-Rita. Marie will start with number plate 9 at Mont Sainte Anne. (Sportcom press release) (Interview) (Race hilights)

May 22/09:
Marie's Madrid pre-race interview on Cyclingdirt.org

May 3/09:
Marie continues to overcome the points deficit from missing the first race of the year. She started with number plate 34 in Houffalize, but she shot into second place on the start loop. She rode a strong sprint race and finished in 6th place (+3:00). She will start with number plate 16 in Madrid. (Sportcom press release)

April 26/09:
Marie started mid-pack at Offenburg with number plate 52, a result of missing the first race. She advanced through heavy traffic to finish 14th in her first race of 2009. (Sportcom press release) (Interview)

March 26/09:
Marie is disappointed not to be able to attend the first World Cup in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. The travel time to South Africa is two days each way, and that combined with the time difference, and the end of her class session at Laval University, meant she did not want to take the chance of burning the candle at both ends early in the season and compromise the other World Cup races. Marie will be in perfect balance to compete in all the World Cups starting with Offenburg in late April.

February 13/09:
Marie will be riding for the new Maxxis-Rocky Mountain UCI MTB Trade Team in 2009. The new race team will have Marie, the 6 time Canadian National Elite Women MTB Champion, riding on the same team as Geoff Kabush, the Canadian National Elite Men MTB Champion, along with Espoir team mate Raphael Gagné, and new team member Lea Davison.

2008

December 9/08:
Marie won in the category of top individual female athlete of international level at the Victoris Gala Desjardins in Quebec City.

November 24/08:
Marie will attend the Canadian Olympic & Paralympic Cycling Celebration on November 29th in Quebec City. Tickets are available for $20 each, attendance is limited 200. More information available at Canadiancyclist.com

November 9/08:
Marie received the award of the best female athlete (MTB) for 2008 and an award for Excellence (MTB) for the 2008 World Cup first place overall finish from the FQSC (Fédération québécoise des sports cyclistes).

October 16/08:
Marie announces she will compete again in 2009, postponing retirement for at least one more year.

September 14/08:
Marie wins a bronze in the Schladming World Cup final and receives the 2008 World Cup series first place trophy. Marie is the only woman racer to win a medal in every WC race she entered.

August 30/08:
Marie clinches 2008 World Cup series win after Canberra World Cup race #8

August 23/08:
Marie suffers breathing problems at the Beijing Olympic MTB race and has to withdraw from the race, only her second DNF in her career. "I have no idea what happened," Marie told RDS, "I felt comfortable and I had good legs after the first round. I tried to resume despite respiratory problems, but it was simply impossible." But Marie had a good perspective on the DNF, "People would like me to say that I'm really demolished, but I'm stronger than that. This is only one day in a life, it is unfortunate that this has happened here."

August 2/08:
Marie takes a Silver medal in the mud and rain at World Cup #7 in Bromont, Quebec

July 26/08:
Marie wins the Gold medal at World Cup #6 at Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec

July 20/08:
Marie wins her 6th Canadian Championship at Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec. She won by a slim 6 second margin after overcoming lost time from 2 service stops for a locked out fork and a crash that left her fighting wheel to wheel with Catharine Pendrel in the last lap.

June 8/08:
Marie wins the Gold medal at World Cup #5 at Ft.Williams, Scotland

May 31/08:
Marie wins a bronze medal at Vallnord, despite the effects of very cold temperatures, rain and high altitude that left her with no feeling in her fingers for the first 3 laps.

May 4/08:
Marie takes a silver medal and the leader's jersey in Madrid, missing the gold medal by just 1 second in a literal last second sprint across the finish line by Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå.